Oscar Curtis and parents Alicia and Jeremy Curtis will ride in style in the grand marshal's car. Oscar will be flanked by brothers, Brady, 5, and Oliver, 3, who will walk alongside the car with their grandparents.

"We were so excited," Alicia Curtis said of the honor. "The community has already done so many wonderful things for us between all the benefits and help they've provided."

"I can't think of a stronger little boy or family that would be better to represent a sense of community at the front of our Rose Parade," Barton wrote in her nomination letter. "He constantly teaches us all how to be strong, come together and simply enjoy life."

As an infant, Oscar Curtis was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare disease that required a liver transplant. He underwent numerous operations, including open-heart surgery, and many blood transfusions, all before he finally received a new liver Jan. 28 at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan.

Despite all of Oscar's complications prior to the transplant, his body's acceptance of the liver and overall recovery has met even his doctors' most optimistic expectations, Alicia Curtis said.

"If you want a textbook example of how a liver transplant is supposed to go, this is it," she said.

Because of his speedy recovery, Oscar was taken off several medications recently, although he still has to take numerous meds each day.

The Curtises are thrilled with Oscar's overall progress. However, even something as simple as a rash can be a quick reminder how fragile things can be for a transplant recipient.

"He broke out in rash, and had it been either of our other two kids, I wouldn't have acted so quickly," Alicia Curtis said. "I immediately sent a pic of the rash to the U (Mott's Hospital), and they said it could be hepatitis or meningitis because that's how those conditions can present themselves."

Fortunately for Oscar, tests showed no signs of either disease. Still, the situation was "very scary" for the family.

The rash situation aside, Oscar recently passed the 100-day mark since his transplant without any major complications.

Oscar has even added walking to his repertoire of late.

"He's wobbling all over the house now," Alicia Curtis said.

Even with all the time Oscar has spent away from home, he has developed a tight-knit relationship with his older brothers. Brady, the oldest, is especially protective of Oscar.

"It's really hard to put into words how close he and his brothers are," Alicia Curtis said. "I think he trusts them more than he trusts Jeremy and I.

MLive photographer Sam Gause spent extensive time with the Curtises during the past few months to document the family's experience bringing Oscar home. Check out the photo gallery at the top of this story for the results.

Where: Parade route starts at S. Jackson Street and Greenwood Avenue and continues southwest on Greenwood and then onto Fourth Street. Parade ends at the Middle School at Parkside, 2400 Fourth St.

After the parade: The Picnic in the Park at Ella Sharp Park will include a fire-truck pull, dunk tank, Corvette show, face painting and a barbecue cookout featuring chicken and pulled pork. Also, enjoy laser light shows across the street at Hurst Planetarium, 3225 Fourth St., from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.